Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate India’s first CBDC-based Public Distribution System on 15 February at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
Punjab National Bank developed the system in collaboration with the Gujarat Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, and the Reserve Bank of India has authorised it.
Under the scheme, beneficiaries will receive digital tokens containing details of their allocated commodities, including quantity and price.
The pilot phase currently covers 26,333 families across Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati zone, Surat, Anand and Valsad.
Recipients using smartphones will authenticate transactions via QR codes, while those with feature phones will verify through Aadhaar-linked one-time passwords.
The state government will also distribute tur and chana in standardised one-kilogram sealed packs to maintain quality, replacing the previous loose distribution under the National Food Security Act.
A new ‘Annapurti Grain ATM’ will be installed in the Sabarmati zone. The machine operates 24/7 and can dispense up to 25 kg of grain within 35 seconds, offering faster and more convenient access for beneficiaries.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi, and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi will be present at the launch.
The state will also roll out a Consumer Responsibility Index in collaboration with Care Rating and the Consumer Education and Research Centre.
The government will establish a conciliation and pre-litigation mechanism to expedite the resolution of consumer disputes.
Under the ‘Garima Poshan – Suposhit Garudeshwar Taluka’ initiative, Rs 1.65 crore from Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation CSR funds will support nutrition programmes in Narmada district, including two model anganwadis and targeted health interventions for adolescent girls and expectant mothers.
This launch marks a major step in modernising India’s PDS, promoting efficiency, transparency and ease of access for citizens.
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